In Paths of Falling Stars
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: Prequel to The Only One. How Quinn and Rachel got together, and how Rachel found out about Quinn's superpowers. Emerald Fury superhero fic.
1. Chapter 1

**In Paths of Falling Stars**

The Sylvesteropolis Observatory was packed for its grand opening. A meteor shower was supposed to take place in just an hour, but everyone was more focused on the stars on the ground. Quinn Fabray looked out at the sea of reporters and smiled. To her left, her lawyer Brittany Pierce spoke into the microphone.

"Just two more questions, I think," she said, nodding to one of the reporters.

He stood up. "Marcus Daly with The Times, Ms. Fabray. What's your response to the rumors that Fabray Enterprises went sorely over budget with this Observatory project?"

Quinn smiled cooly and leaned forward to answer. "People tend to think of business dealings as black and white- under budget or over budget. That's not the case. We began to go over budget at the beginning of the year, and pulled back on production. As you may remember, this opening was supposed to take place two months ago. However, we were able to fundraise and ended up coming in almost precisely on budget through Fabray Enterprises, and under budget for our friends at Chang and Chang Inc. We have to thank the citizens of Sylvesteropolis for that. Without their donations, this would not be possible."

"One last question," Brittany called. She pointed to a reporter on the right side of the room.

"Yes, Emma Herald with The Sylversteropolis Sound. Fabray Enterprises is known for its charity work. In fact, there are kids here tonight from the Schuester Private Children's Home. Do you envision using this observatory for more educational work with the community's children?"

"I certainly hope so," Quinn said, nodding. "One of the main factors in this project was the idea that it would be a state of the art educational tool, right at the school system's fingertips. In future years, we also hope to have an internship opportunity for high school seniors that will lead into appointments at our space training program."

"We'd like to thank you all for coming tonight," Brittany said. "Please enjoy your time here. Refreshments will be served in the lobby. Once the shower starts up, the panels on the roof will be opened so we can watch from indoors."

Quinn stood and led the way to the back. "That went well—besides having to justify our spending. Again."

"You're loaded," Brittany said shrugging. "They always want to know that the rich are keeping their noses clean."

"Or as clean as we can. Who's on patrol tonight?" she asked, dropping her voice.

"Puck and Mercedes. They promised to keep everything quiet. Santana!" Brittany said, running over to hug her wife.

"Hey! Sup, Q?" she asked, peeking around the taller blonde. "I was wondering if I could steal my lady for a while."

"You two go on," Quinn said, rolling her eyes and smiling. "I'll go mingle."

In truth, she hated these events. She hated mingling, making small talk with small minded people. She could have just as easily grabbed a drink and watched the revelry from the upper balcony, but she decided to make an attempt that night.

"Quinn!"

"Matt! You made it!" she said, hugging her friend. "How are things in Gotham?"

"Crazy," he said wearily. "You wouldn't believe the crime rate. I'm transferring back here as soon as I can."

"Well, I'm glad you're here now."

"Me too. Hey, I need to introduce you to someone," he said, nodding toward the stage.

She followed, genuinely curious. Matt knew her better than anyone, so if he was introducing someone, it was going to be good.

"This," he said, standing next to a woman with chestnut brown hair. "is Rachel Berry."

"Lead actress in _A Kind of Delirium_," Quinn said, smiling. "It's wonderful to meet you."

"You too," Rachel said, shaking her hand.

"Are you here with the theater company?"

"Technically," Rachel told her with a small smile. "We give free acting and voice classes to groups of students. We brought them tonight."

"That's great! Maybe they'd like to see the upper telescopes? We roped them off to everyone else, but I'm sure I could get you up there."

"That would be amazing. Thank you, Ms. Fabray."

"Please, call me Quinn." She smiled at the shorter woman, and gestured out to the lobby. "I'll have the DJ make the announcement for them to meet us by the elevators."

* * *

The children loved playing around with the telescopes. Quinn and Rachel watched them, and the meteor shower, from one of the benches.

"I didn't know the owner of Fabray Enterprises was a theater fan," Rachel said.

"I'm full of surprises," Quinn told her. "It was a…random thing I got into during my teen years. Your new show is one of my favorites though. I've seen it five times." _Fuck sake, stop rambling you idiot!_ She yelled in her mind. She had seen the show five times—mostly because she thought Rachel was the most beautiful woman on the planet with a voice to match….

"Five? Wow, we should get you some sort of frequent flyer card," Rachel joked.

"I'll definitely take one whenever you get them," Quinn said with a wink. "Hey, listen—"

"Ms. Berry!" one of the kids called. "Ivan's peeking into houses with the telescope!"

"Duty calls," Rachel mumbled, hurrying over.

_Damn_, Quinn thought. Her cell phone buzzed, and she nearly laughed when she read the text.

_Go ahead, Q! Get yo swerve on—I see you! Xo, S_

She looked over the railing and saw Santana raise a glass to her. "Jesus…."

"Okay, crisis averted," Rachel said, coming back over. "You were asking me something?"

"Er…yeah. I just…I was wondering if you want to go get coffee next week?"

Rachel smiled. "I'd love to."

* * *

Quinn stretched as she slid into bed. The opening had last until 2 a.m., and after 10 she didn't even have Rachel to distract her. She'd never been happier to be home in bed. That was a lie, she had. Still, she was beyond ready to let sleep claim her.

"Quinn?"

She turned over to face her intercom. "What's up, Britt?"

"Just got an email from the President. She wants to see us tomorrow."

Quinn groaned. That couldn't be good. "Right. Thanks, Britt. Breakfast tomorrow?"

"Sure. Good night."

"Night."

_**LbN: Last round of voting is up! I'll try to have updates on this one quick. :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

**In Paths of Falling Stars**

People waved, nodded, and smiled brightly as they passed. A few older men of the military persuasion saluted. Walking through the President's offices in Sylvesteropolis in your superhero outfit was a bit like being the head of a parade. Quinn took a seat next to Puck (Rock of Light) and smiled.

"Crime fighting super humans, and she still makes us wait," he said, giving her a brief hug.

"She's the boss."

"Where's Rainbow Mist?"

"She got caught by some kids outside. She's signing a few autographs and then she'll be in."

They sat quietly, joined by Brittany a few minutes later, until an intern came through the sliding double doors.

"President Sylvester will see you know."

The woman was standing by the floor to ceiling window, surveying the city, when they entered.

"Rock, Fury, Mist," she said. "Have a seat."

They got comfortable in the large cushioned chairs in front of the President's desk. Quinn helped herself to some of the tiny cookies the intern brought in, and scanned the room for clues as to why they were there. She spotted a few folders on the desk and sighed. That usually meant they'd have a new (and extremely annoying) big bad to deal with.

President Sylvester walked back and sat down. "We have a new situation. A weapons smuggler named Mr. AZ."

"Mr. AZ?" Quinn asked with a snort. "Really?"

"A shortened form of his name," Sylvester said. "Azimio Adams. He was on our radar for some petty crimes in his teens, but he's been off the radar for about ten years now. He popped back up over in the northwestern part of the island about six months ago."

"But weapons smuggling?" Brittany asked. "That's a pretty straight forward thing for upper law enforcement, right? Why are we being called in?"

"Because of this." She passed them a picture of a light purple serum in a bathtub sized vat. "This is something the criminal underworld has been salivating over for years now. It's been theoretic until very recently. A serum you can inject into normal peasants—"

"Citizens," all three heroes said.

"Into normal citizens to give them powers that mimic heroes. Currently, they've been able to clone the alien powers, but not magical ones. Mr. AZ hasn't begun distributing, but he's threatened to make a show of some of his powers. This poses both the obvious threat, as well as bringing up the never-ending question of whether to expose ourselves."

The three of them looked up.

"I meant…reveal our identities. Because if a bunch of demi-heroes start cropping up, we might have to. I want the three of you to brief the rest of the heroes. Sooner rather than later, and we need a plan of attack by Friday."

"We're on it," Rock said, standing up with the other two.

* * *

It was a rare occasion that the junior heroes got to sit in on meetings. Usually, the important bits were relayed to them later, but they weren't privy to the discussions. Today, however, Rock of Light called all of them together in the assembly hall.

Quinn gently nudged Boy Wonder. She still didn't know his real name. He'd just joined the league about a month back, but he was incredibly kind and always willing to work. He was also dozing as Puck made his speech.

"Ergh?"

"Shh," she said, smiling. "Try to stay awake. Patrol last night?"

He nodded. "Fist was with me, but we got split up…."

Quinn rolled her eyes. That meant Finn had gone wandering off somewhere and left all the work to Boy Wonder.

"So, that means we need to be extra careful," Puck said. "We don't want to get caught with our pants down."

"Isn't that how we normally catch you?" Saint quipped.

"Shut up, Jesse. Any questions, you guys?"

"Why don't we just share our identities?" Finn asked. "We keep them safe—they should be grateful for us! And we won't have to worry about any demi-heroes that pop up if they know who the true ones are."

"We did think about that," Puck acknowledged. "But it will take some planning, if it comes to that. We'll talk more about that later. All of you get back to your stations."

Quinn stood and stretched. "Next time it's your turn to patrol, you can shadow one of mine," she told Boy Wonder.

"Really?" he asked, smiling.

"Yeah. You'll learn more from me and Britt, I assure you," she said, giving him a playful shove.

"Wow, that's great! I'll let you know."

"Yo, Fury!"

Quinn turned to see Finn waving at her.

"I'm out of here before he makes me clean the locker room again," Boy Wonder muttered.

Quinn laughed and headed over to the other hero. "What's up?"

"Er…I heard you have a date tomorrow," he said awkwardly.

"Yeah…."

"Look…I know the girl. I used to date her."

"What?" Quinn asked, reeling back.

"It's not that I'm weird about you dating her or anything," Finn said, waving a hand. "I just…wanted to warn you."

"About what?"

He sighed, and immediately Quinn knew that this was going to be some bullshit. He just had that look about him.

"She's really great, but she doesn't…she isn't into superheroes. I told her about me, and she dumped me."

"Just like that?" Quinn asked, heart sinking.

Finn nodded. "Like I said, she's amazing. But that makes it that much harder. Look, date her if you want, just don't let it get serious. She's easy to fall in love with."

"Er…right," Quinn said.

"Good luck. I've got to go see about a gunman in the north."

"Take care." She watched him go, mind spinning. Could he be right? Finn was known to exaggerate, but still…. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

"You good, Q?" Brittany said.

"Yeah, just…. Yeah. Let's go home."

"Sounds like a plan to me. Santana's making meatloaf."


	3. Chapter 3

**In Paths of Falling Stars**

Quinn stood beaming up at the Star Museum—the Observatory's learning center. She'd been doing interviews all morning, but Mike and Tina had just arrived to relieve her. She walked into the cool air of the gift shop. She spotted the necklace she wanted and took it to the counter.

The high school student at the counter gaped at her. "M-miss Fabray…wow…Oh my god. It's such an honor."

"Thanks…Adam," she said, reading his nametag. "Is this just your summer job, or will you be sticking around through the year?"

"Through the year, ma'am," he said, ringing her up. "I want to go into the internship program. Is this a gift? I can wrap it for you."

"That'd be great." She watched him wrap the small box at lightning speed. "Thanks," she said. "That internship program's a way off. You want to come work at Fabray Enterprises next summer, you give me a call." She handed him her card and grabbed the box.

"Th-thank you…."

Once she got back to her car, she hit the call button on her phone.

"Hey Q!" Brittany chirped. "On your way?"

"In a bit. I'm going to swing by the training compound and grab Boy Wonder. It'll be good for him to be a part of this. I'll let you know when I'm on my way to the Shed."

"I'll be here."

* * *

The training center was bustling, but it wasn't hard to find the younger hero. He was hauling about 200 pounds worth of equipment in one arm. With the other, he was putting spears and medicine balls back onto shelves.

"Working hard, I see," she said, taking some of the equipment from him.

"Hey Fury. Messed up today in practice," he grumbled. "The Fist's got me on equipment duty for the next two weeks."

"But no more today. You're coming with me."

"Where?"

"We've got a meeting at the Shoe Shed."

"That bar down on Grand?" he asked, dropping the rest of the equipment in a pile on the wall.

"HEY!"

The Fist was in front of them a second later, glaring at boy Wonder. "What the hell? Pick those up and get back to work!" he snapped.

"You can find another junior to do it," Quinn said firmly. "I need his help on some recon."

Finn scoffed. "Why him?"

"None of your business," Quinn said. "But he has to come along."

"We'll talk later," Finn told Boy Wonder.

"That can't be good," the younger hero muttered nervously as Finn stalked off.

"Don't worry about him. Come back to my office."

Each senior hero had an office on the top floor of the training compound. Quinn's looked like it belonged to a 60 year old literature professor who hadn't thrown out a book since he was five. She sat in the chair across from Boy Wonder and offered him a bottle of water.

"I remember training. I was younger than you, but still…felt like I was perpetually dehydrated,' she said, smiling. "We're doing recon for the Mr. AZ case. I want you to get some field experience, but first… I need to know who you are."

Boy Wonder fidgeted. "Really? Why?"

"All senior heroes know each other's identities. It's…a way to make sure everything stays level. You don't have to unmask yourself, but I like to know who I'm working with."

He stared at her for a long moment.

"I promise not to tell anyone other than Brittany," she said. "Especially not Fist, since he seems to have some sort of hate-on for you. I'll even go first—even though you probably have a hunch from my voice." She let her hair down from its tight bun, and removed her mask.

"No fucking way," Boy Wonder said in a hushed voice. "Quinn Fabray? The CEO of Fabray Enterprises is the Emerald Fury?"

"The one and only," Quinn said, leaning back in her chair. "And Boy Wonder is…?"

He fiddled with the part of his suit nearest his chin, and pulled away a collar. "Voice changer. Because most people would guess if they heard my real voice."

And indeed, Quinn thought he sounded familiar now, she just couldn't place it exactly.

He pulled off his mask and looked up at her.

"Blaine Anderson," she said, nodding. Now she knew where she'd heard the voice before. Brittany was an obsessive boy band fan, and Wonder Kids were her favorite. They had every interview and concert taped and Quinn was currently staring at the band's lead heartthrob.

"So… I can go with you right?" he asked. "Really don't want to go back to grunt work with Fist."

"Yeah," Quinn told him, standing up. "Let's get moving."

* * *

The place wasn't some seedy hole in the wall, like you see in the movies. The criminal underwold didn't hang around here to do deals or anything. The Shoe Shed, run by one William Schuester (the Shoe), was a completely respectable bar and grill. Their burgers were delicious.

Still the owner of the place was the best source for information. He kept his head dodwn and his eyes and ears open. No one would look twice at three heroes going in, either. Heroes have to eat too, right?

The Shoe came over with napkins and glasses of water. "What can I get you today, friends?"

"Two waffles with cherry vanilla ice cream on top, and a Coke," Brittany said.

"I'll have the chicken, bacon ranch quesadilla with a side of cheese fries," Quinn said.

"Er… Banzai Burger, extra pineapple, hold the pickles, and some onion straws," Blaine said. "Thanks."

Quinn sat back and looked around. There wasn't too much activity…just a few older men having a very loud dominoes game in the corner. Brittany was busy coloring the kid's menu and Blaine was rocking back and forth, wiping his hands on his pants.

"Chill," she said quietly. "No worries." She scooted one of the napkins in her lap toward him so he could see the writing on it. "Got everything under control."

He smiled and took a deep breath.

"We're all about efficiency."

"When do we…you know, read it?" he whispered.

"Later."


	4. Chapter 4

**In Paths of Falling Stars**

Coffee had turned into cocktails, because Rachel had had an event with her Showcase Kids. Quinn changed her dress for the 80th time, finally settling on the one she'd had on to begin with. Checking herself in the mirror, she grabbed her purse and made her way through the expansive mansion. When she got to the bottom floor, she peeked into the smaller dining room and waved at the other two women.

Santana whistled at her. "Looking good, Q!"

"Thanks. You two in for the night?"

"Yeah," Brittany said. "Imitator took my watch with Purple Mist."

"Goodness…those two are inseparable. They'll be announcing the wedding any day now."

The other two just laughed as she waved goodbye.

* * *

"I hear A Kind of Delirium is closing in two months," Quinn said.

They were sitting in a secluded booth in one of Sylvesteropolis's best restaurants. They'd shared appetizers, and spent the last hour and a half talking about anything and everything. The night was going better than anything Quinn could have hoped for.

"It's true," Rachel said, nodding. "I'm a little sad, but it'll be nice to take a break for a while. Of course, this means you'll have to find another play to stalk," she added with a sly grin.

"You can recommend a few I'm sure."

"Maybe I could take you to some of my favorites."

Quinn blushed and nodded. "I'd like that."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Quinn looked out the window, seeing flashbulbs.

"I think the paparazzi found us," she said calmly.

"I blame you," Rachel said, laughing. "They can't get enough of the infamous Quinn Fabray."

"Personally, I think they're less interested in my lifestyle and more interested in any freebies I carry…." Quinn told her. "Don't worry…I picked this place for a reason."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. It's one of my favorites, so I have an escape route." She nodded at the waiter and stood, taking Rachel's hand. "Just follow me."

They walked through the back of the restaurant to the kitchen. The head chef nodded at them, but everyone else went on about their business. At the very back, next to the back exit, they stopped before a large silver door.

"The freezer?" Rachel asked in a low voice. "Is this where you chop me up into little bits and I become Tuesday's special?"

Quinn snorted, and led her not into a freezer, but a lounge-like room. "It's where they come when they need a breather. But we're not staying." She pushed a button on the far wall, and the floor began to sink. She smiled when Rachel jumped and held onto her arm tighter. "Sorry, should have warned you."

"It's okay. There's an underground garage? I really need to move into movies…theater isn't getting me VIP status, apparently."

Quinn led her over to her Bentley and held the door open. "Where to?"

"I should get home. We're planning another camp for the Showcase Kids. I live at Sylvester Plaza."

Quinn nodded and peeled out of the garage. She smiled as they sped away from the crowd, some of whom seemed to realize that their stars had escaped.

The ride took a little under ten minutes, and the lights of the plaza gleamed before them. She pulled up to the curb, and gave a slight shake of the head to the valet. "I'll be right back."

They walked in silence to the door. Rachel turned to her with a bright smile.

"I had fun tonight," she said.

"Me too. I…uh…." Quinn stammered, holding the necklace box in her pocket. "I'd like to see you again."

"How about next Wednesday?" Rachel asked. "The theater companies are throwing a big fundraise. I have an extra ticket."

Quinn grinned. "I'd love to go. I'll call you."

Rachel leaned up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Good night."

Quinn waited until she saw Rachel enter the lobby's elevator before heading back to her car. "WOO!" she yelped as she drove off.

* * *

"Five more minutes…."

"Get up, Q! Blaine's here. We need to go over the information we got yesterday."

"We've been over it ten times," the older blonde whined.

"And President Sylvester wants us to go over it again."

Quinn groaned and sat up, rubbing her eyes. She glanced at the clock. "She couldn't just let me sleep until eight, could she?"

"Guess not," Brittany said, smiling. "Come on. Nigel made pancakes."

Smiling, Quinn swung her feet over the edge of the bed. Their butler made world-rocking pancakes. "Fine, fine. Hope Blaine's cool with me in my Yummy Sushi pajamas…."

By the time they got downstairs, Blaine was already tucking into a stack of five pancakes. He also had three glasses of milk, two glasses of orange juice, a plate of bacon, and a few grapefruit slices in front of him. "Morning," he mumbled through a mouthful.

"Morning," Quinn chuckled. "Good thing you're used to alien and magical appetites, Nigel."

"I can't help but agree, Miss Quinn. Will you require your monstrosity of a smoothie in addition to your pancakes this morning?"

"Pancakes will do it, Nigel. Thanks!"

They passed around the notes as they ate. Schue's message was thoroughly syrup-covered by the end of it.

"I don't get it," Blaine said. "If the serum is so powerful…why isn't he fucking shit up already? Pardon my French…."

"Because he's not doing this for anything concrete," Brittany said. She sighed when they stared at her. She had a habit of saying one sentence out of the paragraph in her head. "I mean…he's not out to make money. Sylvester would have paid him a fortune for this. Imagine…being able to give this to special groups of our military or our high law enforcement. He's doing it for show. Just to mess with us. The money he makes along the way is secondary. Part of messing with us? Keeping us guessing. If he starts showing off before he knows he can control his minions—"

"Wait, minions?" Blaine asked.

Quinn looked up from her bacon. "Think like a video game. This guy's the boss. He won't appear until the very end. We've got to cut through the peons first."

"Right. And if he just starts injecting people, who's to say they won't just go off the deep end? Or turn goodie two shoes for our president. He may not have a plan, and he may not want to gain anything from this, but he does have to make sure no one will screw things up for him."

They ate quietly for another few minutes, until Blaine's phone went off.

"Press for Wonder Kids," he said. "Keep me posted. Thanks, Nigel!" he called into the other room as he rose from the table.

Nigel appeared in the doorway. "My pleasure, Master Blaine."

"I'll come by the training center later," Brittany told him. "Make sure Finn's not giving you a hard time."

"Thanks."

Quinn stretched and watched him go. "What should we do today?"

"Santana's in surgery until two. Fixing some kid's brain so they don't have seizures anymore. We should plan a party!"

The older woman smiled at her best friend's childlike glee. Brittany loved throwing parties at the Fabray mansion. And Quinn had to admit, she was good at it. "Let's do it," she said. "What kind?"

"Well…it's a month and a half to Halloween…."


	5. Chapter 5

**In Paths of Falling Stars**

The days rolled on. Quinn and Rachel were Sylversteropolis's hottest new couple, regularly gracing the covers of various tabloids. They tried to keep their budding relationship as private as possible, but the public seemed keen to get a glimpse of them in the spotlight whenever they could.

Two weeks before Halloween, they were enjoying a rare moment of seclusion. Strolling through the park, they chatted as the leaves fell around them.

"So…are the rumors true?" Rachel asked with a smirk.

"No, I did not really buy a tiger."

"No, not that one," Rachel said, laughing.

"Which one, then? The one about my personal rocket ship? Or the one about me and the Brazilian supermodel?" Quinn asked, grinning.

"That one better not be true!" Rachel said, giving her a playful hip bump. "No, I'm talking about the super exclusive party you're supposedly throwing."

"Oh, right. Yes, that's true. In fact, I was going to talk to you about it. It's a big Halloween party. All of the regular starlets will be there, but it's also a fundraiser for Emma Schuester's children's home, and the Showcase Kids."

Rachel did a double take and gaped at her. "Really?"

Quinn nodded. "We got in touch with the foundation's financial manager and worked everything out. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like to come and if you like to invite your kids as well."

"Absolutely!" Rachel said, wrapping Quinn in a hug. "I'll see them tonight for the last show."

"Great. We've managed to book the Wonder Kids, so they're in for a treat."

"You are amazing."

Quinn blushed and shrugged, taking Rachel's hand again. "I think your program is phenomenal, and what you do for those kids…. That's what's amazing. I know funding's been short—I just want to make sure things can keep going."

Rachel squeezed her hand as they headed down the path to the duck pond. "Are you coming tonight?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. How are you feeling about it?"

"It hasn't set in yet. I'm sure tomorrow I'll start sobbing the moment I wake up."

"Maybe we can do something…you know, keep busy. Take your mind off things?" Quinn suggested.

"I do believe you promised me a tour of Fabray Enterprises' demo room."

"That I did."

"Uh oh…Paparazzi behind us."

Quinn pressed a small button on the side of her sunglasses, and a computer-like screen came up. "I see them. How about some ice cream?"

"What?"

Quinn steered them over to the ice cream cart. "Johnny."

"Hey! Miss Fabray," the high schooler said. "Free day again?"

"You know it. We need to make a getaway."

"Of course, Miss Fabray. I can cause a distraction for you and your lady friend," he said, tipping his white cap to Rachel. "I'd recommend Bike Path C." With that, he pushed his cart into the middle of the path and began walking toward the men and women with cameras.

"This way," Quinn said.

"What's—"

The Jolly Ice Lollies theme started playing, and it was like a plague of locust. Kids came running from everywhere as Quinn and Rachel slipped into the shaded area of the bike path.

"Oh my goodness!" Rachel said, glancing back at the pandemonium.

"I've been caught here before, quite a few times in fact. Johnny's great. He rings for free ice creams and the kids come running. It's usually enough time for me to get away. I send a check to the company."

Rachel laughed as they walked out of the park. "Do you just have escape plans for every building in Sylvesteropolis?"

"Not every one. Upwards of 80 percent, but not all of them."

Rachel smiled and stopped at the taxi station and hailed one. "I'll see you tonight?"

"Promise. Wait!" Quinn said, leaning into the cab. She took the necklace box out of her pocket. "A good luck present," she said, giving Rachel a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you after the show."

* * *

Halloween rolled around and the main parlor of Fabray Mansion was packed. One of the side rooms had been filled to create a massive ball pit. Another had a bubble machine going. The Wonder Kids had performed twice, and the children were having an amazing time. Even the stodgiest adults were enjoying themselves.

"Kurt Hummel here, at Fabray Mansion of all places!" the reporter said. "We're in the middle of Sylversteropolis's most swinging party. Now, tell me Quinn, how did you come up with the idea of this costume party?"

"Well, Brittany and I wanted to throw a little bash for Halloween. We thought it would be cool if we could raise some money for various organizations for the kids of Sylvesteropolis. As most people know, we have a long standing partnership with the children's home, and we're just kicking off our partnership with Showcase Kids."

"Rachel Berry's fine arts program."

"That's right."

"And the news about your budding romance with the talented Miss Berry?"

Quinn smiled. "We're both very private people, but I will say that we're happy. Enjoy the party." She gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, and gave the hall a sweeping glance. She spotted a hulking figure talking to Rachel. He was dressed as some sort of zombie, but Quinn recognized him through the makeup. She made it over just as Rachel was saying,

"So, I didn't know you knew Quinn."

"Professional connection," Finn said, shrugging. "Quite an interesting story, actually—"

"One that can definitely wait until some other time," Quinn said, glaring at him. "Rachel, we should do the presentation now. Before the big spenders get bored and leave."

"Okay. It was nice to see you, Finn."

When they were out of earshot, Rachel asked, "What was it that he was about to tell me?"

Quinn's stomach dropped as they made their way onto the makeshift stage. "It's…complicated."

"Date him once?"

"No, nothing like that. How about lunch tomorrow?" she asked, knowing that this was probably a bad idea. "I'll tell you…the full story."

Rachel smiled and nodded.

"Do the honors?" Quinn offered.

"Sure!" Rachel stepped up to the microphone and called for attention. The students came in and crowded around the front of the stage. "Thank you all for being here tonight," she said. "We're very excited to announce a few things. Thanks to your generous donations, Showcase Kids will be able to operate for another three years, including building a new dance studio."

The students cheered as the adults clapped politely.

"We're also happy to announce the introduction of two new scholarships. The first is through Showcase Kids, and the second is through Fabray Enterprises." She nodded to Quinn and stepped to the side. Blaine handed her two envelopes.

"The recipients of the scholarships are here tonight, even though they had no clue we were doing this," Quinn said, smiling out at the audience. "The first, full tuition to Tanaka University, goes to… Aaron Stevens."

One of the boys from the Schuester Private Children's Home nearly collapsed. He walked shakily onto stage, and received the envelope from Rachel. He stood back to be photographed with the Wonder Kids as Quinn read the next name.

"The second, full tuition to Smythe Academy of Arts, goes to… Katarina Goethe."

One of the girls from the Showcase Kids did an impressive flail before running up onstage. Her picture took a bit longer because she didn't want to let go of Blaine.

"Thank you for coming," Quinn said. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."

When they left the stage, Rachel pulled Quinn into one of the empty side rooms. "Tonight's been epic."

Quinn nodded. "Hey, about Finn—"

"I don't care about him," Rachel said, shaking her head and smiling. "I'm curious, but not tonight. Those kids are so excited to be here. Let's just go have fun." She leaned up and gave Quinn a kiss on the lips.

Blushing furiously, Quinn took her hand and led the way back to the party.


	6. Chapter 6

**In Paths of Falling Stars**

Quinn picked Rachel up at noon the next day, and they drove to one of the cafes on the outskirts of town.

"It'll be a bit quieter," Quinn explained.

"Or at least it'll take the paparazzi longer to find us."

Quinn laughed as they parked and walked up to the small restaurant.

"So…I'm assuming Finn told you about our brief…thing," Rachel said once they were seated.

"Kind of. He said the two of you dated for a while."

"Unfortunately, yes. He had some…uh…unsavory characteristics that made me more than a little uncomfortable."

Quinn's heart sank at this. She didn't know if Rachel was talking about Finn's superpowers, but it seemed like it. Her disappointment must have shown on her face, because Rachel smiled and took her hand.

"Don't worry. It wasn't too bad. I ended it, and he backed off. And now I'm happily moving on."

"Uh…yeah."

"So…how do the two of you know each other?"

"Actually—"

There was a commotion outside at that moment. Quinn looked out the window just in time to dive across the table and push Rachel out of harm's way. A motorcycle soared through the window, spraying glass everywhere.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked as patrons panicked around them.

"Fine…" Rachel gasped, sitting up.

The man outside was shooting fireballs at all of the people running around outside. Quinn pulled Rachel over to the register and both of them crouched behind it.

"Stay here," she said, standing up.

"Where are you going?"

But Quinn was already halfway to the kitchen. She checked to make sure no one was looking before hitting a button on her watch. "Britt, get out here. I think Mr. AZ has finally given us one of his guinea pigs."

"On my way," said the voice through the communicator.

Quinn touched another button on her watch, and her clothes turned into the Emerald Fury uniform. It was a new prototype—usually she had to change completely. She hoped nothing fell off during the fight.

She ran out back in time to see the man shoot another fireball at a group of people.

"Fury!" a frightened voice called. "Is that one of you?"

"No," she said, hurriedly trying to climb onto the roof. She reached the top of the ladder and peeked over the edge. The man's back was turned, and she flew into the air at him. She dodged as he turned around and fired a shot at her.

He flew over the parking lot and picked up one of the convertibles. However, as he got ready to throw it, a jet of light shot across the sky, taking the car out of his hands. He was also sacked from his left.

"Who's that?"

"It's another hero!"

Quinn flew over to help Blaine as he fought Mr. AZ's minion. She was about to land a punch when the man broke out of Blaine's grip and shot a fire ball at her. She dodged, but it hit the café, sending debris crumbling into the building and setting it on fire.

"Rachel!" she gasped.

Brittany, in a mist of rainbow colors, appeared before them and grabbed the minion. "Go, Fury!" she called.

Quinn raced back into the building, holding her breath against the smoke. She found Rachel lying on the ground behind the register. Something had fallen and hit her head. Her eyes fluttered open briefly.

"Quinn?" she whispered, before passing out again.

Quinn held her hand over her, scanning for any major problems before picking her up and carrying her outside.

The press had got there by now, along with a few more heroes. Blaine ran over to her.

"Is she okay?" he asked in his robotic voice.

"I think she will be," Quinn said. "Take her back to my place while I get rid of all the onlookers."

He nodded and took Rachel from her, flying into the air a second later.

"Fury!"

"Emerald Fury!"

"Over here!"

Quinn stalked into the crowd of reporters, anxious to leave.

"What happened, Fury?"

"Has a hero gone rogue?"

"No, no," she assured them. "We've been tracking an individual who has quasi super powers. As you can see, he's drained now, and probably won't recover full strength."

"Are there others like him?"

"We don't know," she said, watching as The Imitator helped shove the man into a police car. "We're hoping to find that out now that we have him in custody. Please, everyone remain vigilant, and trust us to keep you safe."

With that, she made her way over to the rest of the heroes. Imitator, Rock of Light, Rainbow Mist, and Purple Redemption were there. "Where the hell is Hudson?" she grumbled under her breath.

"No clue," Puck said. "You and B get home and contact President S. We'll take care of this."

* * *

"You three made the paper," Santana said, tossing Sylverstopolis Herald, McKinley Times, and the Good Morning Report down on the table the next morning.

"Wait…three?" Blaine asked, grabbing one of the papers. There was a picture of him struggling with the minion. "Holy crap…" he whispered.

"Yeah, man!" Brittany said, ruffling his hair. "First slice of recognition."

"Finn's going to kill me," Blaine said morosely.

"What?" Quinn asked with a laugh. "The hell are you talking about?"

"He's always going on about how I think I'm better than everyone else…how I like to show off. He's going to kick my ass for days when he sees this."

"Maybe not," Quinn said. "You did an actual Act of Heroics as defined by chapter 8, article three of the Heroes League Manual. That means you can be voted up to senior hero. We'll put the vote to Puck this afternoon."

A throat cleared behind them as Nigel entered the dining room. "Mistress Quinn? Miss Berry is awake."

"Oh, thank god," Quinn said.

"I told you she'd be fine, Q," Santana told her, serving herself some toast.

"Yeah, well…can you blame me?"

"Not one bit. Go get your girl."

"We'll see if she's still my girl after she finds out," Quinn mumbled. She walked slowly up the stairs to the east wing. With a deep breath, she knocked on the door to Rachel's room. "Hey," she said, peeking inside.

"Morning, Emerald Fury."

Quinn looked down. "I was kind of hoping you wouldn't remember."

"Please…you stalked off like Batman after hiding me. And all of a sudden, some random superhero comes flying out from behind the restaurant? Yeah…I remember."

They were quiet for a moment, until Rachel spoke again. "That's how you know Finn, isn't it? Was that what you were going to tell me yesterday?"

Quinn nodded. "Until we were so rudely interrupted."

"Why didn't you tell me before? I mean, if you knew about Finn, you knew I would keep it a secret."

"Well…I was worried."

"About?"

She gave the younger woman a brief synopsis of the conversation she'd had with the other hero.

"He told you what?" Rachel yelped, then winced.

"Easy," Quinn said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just a little sore. Quinn, I didn't dump Finn because he was a superhero. He was possessive, and controlling, and he thought having those powers made him…I don't know, above everything and everyone else. I'm okay with dating a hero…so long as that hero doesn't see me just as some weak mortal."

"Well trust me…this one doesn't," Quinn said, smiling.


	7. Chapter 7

**In Paths of Falling Stars**

Over the next few weeks, things progressed mostly as normal. Quinn still saw Rachel. They were still trailed by paparazzi wherever they went. At night, Quinn would go on patrol with Rainbow Mist and Boy Wonder. Nothing else had come up with Mr. AZ, and they hadn't had to reveal themselves. Which was precisely what was up for discussion that day.

"Listen, maybe Fist is right," The Saint said. "We all trusted each other with our secret identities to keep each other honest. But maybe telling the public would be one step further in that. We really can't go off the grid if they know who we are."

"Yeah," Purple Redemption said, tossing her hair. "We also can't hide, or function like normal people if we do it. I'm all for accountability, but let's be serious here."

"I agree," Quinn said, adjusting her mask. "Plus, think of it as professional distance. Did you ever know what your teachers got up to after school? Or what your doctors did when they hung up their white coats for the day? No. They don't need to know who we are or what we do when we take off the mask."

"We protect them. They should be grateful to us!" Fist said for the thirtieth time that day.

"Fist, you're just looking for glory," Rainbow Mist said. "You want them to know so that they can praise you, but you're not thinking about the consequences."

"Enough for today," Rock of Light told them. "I've heard all of your arguments. Fury and I will go to Sylvester and—"

"I want to go too," Fist said. "Both of you don't want our identities revealed—"

"Don't you trust us, Fist?" Quinn asked with a slight smirk.

"To protect the city? Yes. To give our side a fair shake with Sylvester? No."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I'm fine with it. Let's get going."

* * *

The President's office was chilly that day. She listened silently as they explained both sides of the debate. She stood, nodding, once Fist was finished speaking. "For once," she said. "I agree with Fist."

He shot them a smug look.

"However, looking at this from all angles… I think we have to make a compromise."

"What's that, President Sylvester?" Rock of Light asked.

"I agree that it could be prudent to reveal ourselves in light of the pseudo-heroes that are popping up. It would give the public a bit more reassurance. However, there's one big way that could backfire."

The three heroes glanced at each other.

"Let's say we do…then some young upstart at the McKinley Times wants to make a name for himself, so he says that the only reason we did it was to say that a hero hadn't gone rogue. How do they know that's the truth? How do they know that we're not just saving face? And sure, all of the good you've done would count for something, but you can't get rid of doubt once you've planted it." She turned from the window and sat at the desk. "It's a fine line, especially now. So, even though I agree with Fist, I don't think the timing is right. Let's finish out this mission, get Mr. AZ into custody, and then we'll plan on how and when to reveal ourselves if it's still a necessity."

Finn scowled, Puck nodded, and Quinn stayed perfectly still, thinking hard.

"You're dismissed," Sylvester said. "Not you, Quinn. You stay."

The men left the office, and Quinn smiled.

"You don't agree with him at all."

"Not a single bit. But one of the perks of being president is that you get damn good at diplomacy. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about, though." She tossed that morning's paper onto the table. It showed a picture of Rachel on the stage, and the headline read "A Night to Remember". "Your little actress is giving a concert, I see."

"Yeah. It's going to be a live preview of her new album."

"When I was fighting in the jungle during the Second War of the Cascade Plains, we had this little radio—one of Fabray Enterprises' first inventions, actually. It would play our war songs every afternoon at two, unless we'd put it on mute. There was a song…er… Send Them Home, by some singer or other. Put me in mind of this place, made me fight harder the next day. Your Rachel reminds me of that singer. In fact I'd think it was her if I hadn't known she was purely human. Hang on to that one, Q."

"Right, President."

* * *

"How was I supposed to know you had to poke holes in the potato!"

Quinn smiled. For a super genius, Brittany could miss some pretty easy things sometimes. "Don't worry about it, Britts. I'm sure Nigel can show you how to do it. Oh, can I call you back? Rachel's buzzing in."

"Sure. Tell her hi from me!"

Quinn clicked over and answered, "Hey there!"

"Is this Quinn Fabray?" a man's voice asked.

"Yes…. To whom am I speaking?"

"This is Sergeant Greyson, of the Sylvesteropolis Lower Guard."

"Is Rachel okay?" Quinn asked, pulling a movie-worth U-turn and speeding towards McKinley Plaza.

"Yes, ma'am. There was a break in, and she suffered a small injury, but she's fine. She wanted us to call you."

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

She was there in six. There was a crowd of reporters around the front of the building, but Quinn went through the side door. She sprinted up the stairs to the second floor, and hit the elevator button. Within a few minutes, she was standing in a hall full of cops.

"Excuse me ma'am, but you can't…." He faltered under her stare.

"Oi, Michaels," another cop said. She came over and thumped him on back of the head. Her nametag read Aaronovitch. "You should check the tabloids more often, numpty. That's Quinn Fabray. Right this way, ma'am."

Quinn smirked and followed her into Rachel's apartment. "Rachel, what happened?" she asked, rushing over and kneeling in front of the younger woman.

Rachel rolled her eyes and removed the towel from her head. There was a small bump above her right eye. "I'm fine, but they wouldn't let me leave on my own."

"She's suffered a head contusion—" one of the cops began.

"Yes, thank you," Quinn snapped. She sat next to Rachel on the couch. "What happened?"

"I got home from the studio and this…guy had broken in. I didn't know until I got in the kitchen. Nothing looked out of place, but when I got in there, I noticed the fridge was open. He was hiding in the pantry."

Quinn put an arm around her and nodded for her to continue.

"I managed to knock him out, but he hit me pretty good before that. I hit my head on the table going down."

"Wait…you knocked him out?" Quinn said, smiling.

"Used the big skillet."

Quinn let out a relieved chuckle and pulled her into a hug. "How did he get in?" she demanded of one of the cops.

"Paid off the doorman," Aaronovitch said. "We've got management downstairs getting a bollocking. And we'll have new locks on this place in no time."

"Don't bother," Quinn said, helping Rachel to her feet. "Come on. You can stay with me."

"Er…ma'am? Shouldn't she get to a hospital?" Michaels said.

"I live with Sylvesteropolis's leading neurologist," Quinn told him. "Santana will look her over and make the call. Ready?"

"Just let me grab a bag."

Fifteen minutes later, Quinn had loaded Rachel's two suitcases into the back of the Bentley and they were on their way to Fabray mansion.


	8. Chapter 8

**In Paths of Falling Stars**

They'd had dinner in the lounge between Rachel's and her room. They settled onto the large couch to watch TV after dessert. They weren't really watching, though. As with every time they got together, the conversation flowed freely and easily.

A news report on what the city was calling the "Pseudo-hero Attack" came on, and Rachel turned slightly in Quinn's arms to look at her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"How did you get into this? The whole superhero thing," she said, gesturing toward the TV. "Not everyone with magical powers or alien lineage does this, right?"

"Right." She shifted uncomfortably, and it wasn't lost on Rachel.

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable."

"No, it's fine. It's just not something I talk about normally. Okay, I guess the best way to explain it is to ask you a question. You know how we can't go anywhere without the paparazzi up our asses?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever remember seeing me on camera before I took over Fabray Enterprises 8 years ago?"

"I—" Rachel started, but then she stopped. "Now that you mention it, no."

"The official story, because reporters noticed it too, was that my parents cared about my privacy and wanted me to have a normal childhood."

"And that wasn't the case, I'm guessing."

"Not in the slightest. My magical blood comes from way back in my mother's line. To say my father was unhappy to see it pop up in me would be an epic understatement. When I was eight, my parents called me downstairs. A social worker was there to take me off to a boarding school."

"A secret boarding school for superheroes?" Rachel said with a smile. Then she caught Quinn's look. "No way…you're serious?"

"At the time, it was just a school that had a few extra classes to teach us how to control our powers. That's where I met Brittany. She's been my best friend since we were eleven. When high school started, that's when President Sylvester picked some of us to train. I knew I had virtually been disowned at that point, so I agreed."

"So then…how did you end up here?"

"My father died. No one could ever prove it, but everyone knew he was murdered by some people he'd gotten into debt with. My mother inherited the business, and got me involved right away. We managed to pay off my father's debt in a few years, and the company started more innovated techniques with its inventions. Eight years ago, when we went public, my mom retired and handed it over to me. She knew who I was by then, but she wanted me to have a life if I ever decided to walk away."

"Would you? I mean, walk away from the hero gig. Do you like it?"

"Actually, I do. I like being able to keep people safe. I don't know…I guess I would at some point. You can only beat criminals to a pulp every night for so long before you start feeling it in your bones. I'll stop at some point…when I have a good reason to."

Rachel nodded and snuggled down next to her again.

* * *

"Any updates from any of the bigger crime cells?" Rock of Light asked.

"Imitator and I shut down a drug shipment last night," Purple Redemption said. "Boy Wonder helped."

"Do we think this is going to be an ongoing thing?"

"What? The drugs or Boy Wonder helping? The first one, I hope not. The second, I hope so."

"He's been helpful in some of the crazier operations in the last few weeks," the male half of Asian Fusion said. "Any time we need an extra head, he's been willing."

"He's showing off," Fist said.

"He's showing what he's made of," Quinn said, eyes flashing at Finn. "He's going above and beyond to prove he's ready to be a senior hero."

"Well he's not."

"Why?" The Imitator asked.

"He's just…he's not ready."

"How would you even know, Fist?" Saint asked. "Any time he patrolled with us, you always ran off and left us to do the work."

"We'll put it to a vote the week after next, once we've done recon for this Pseudo-hero business," Rock said, tapping his gavel for attention. "It will be majority rule, and we will refer to the rules if we have to. This will not turn into petty drama. For now, Boy Wonder is assigned to Imitator. You're responsible for him. The rest of you can take a junior hero as an intern if you'd like. Any other business before we close?"

Quinn raised her hand. "Keeping an eye on this AZ situation, I think it might be…prudent to station guards at certain events. The underling told us during interrogation that Mr. AZ was ready to test the serum out himself. This guy's looking for attention, so it makes sense that he'd strike at a high profile event."

"Which do you think would be targets?" Purple Redemption asked.

"There are five big ticket things coming up in the next two weeks," Rainbow Mist said, the air around her turning bright green. "First is the big fight between Karovsky and Nelson from Gotham. The second is the Series opener for baseball. Third is the observatory's space camp for the middle schoolers. Fourth is the charity auction at the court house, and fifth is the Rachel Berry's concert."

"Oh…now I see where this is going?" Fist said.

"What's that mean?" Rock asked wearily.

"Fury just wants bodyguards for her girlfriend."

"And the thirty kids that will be performing with her. And the hundreds of innocent bystanders that will be there that night," Quinn said patiently. "To repeat Rock's sentiment from before, let's not turn this into petty drama. It's going to be a huge event, just like the sports events, just like the camp. Let's cover all our bases."

"We'll get the juniors involved as well," Rock said, nodding. "This won't be mandatory for anyone, just on a volunteer basis. So sign up for the event you want to cover, and we'll take it from there." He banged the gavel down once, signaling the end of the meeting.

Quinn hurried to catch up with Finn. "Fist! What the hell was that?" she asked, pulling him into a secluded hallway.

"I don't think we should be wasting our time acting as your girlfriend's bodyguards," he snapped.

"Cut it out, now," she said firmly. "This has nothing to do with our relationship. Even if we weren't dating, we still would've suggested that event for guard duty. Brittany came up with that list based on the number of people projected to be at each event. We have a job to do, Finn. Try not to let your jealousy get in the way." Without another word, she stalked off to her office.


	9. Chapter 9

**In Paths of Falling Stars**

Quinn covered her girlfriend's eyes. "Guess who?"

"I'm guessing it's my girlfriend…. Tall, blonde and sexy? Moonlights as a superhero," she added in a whisper.

Quinn grinned and hugged the younger woman. "How are you doing? Can I get you anything?"

"I'm fine, thanks. I've got my water with lemon and now, I've got you." She leaned in for a kiss and smiled. "Did you see the audience yet?"

"Yeah, it's packed. I think I saw President Sylvester out there."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "They're all here for the free food."

"They're here for you, gorgeous," Quinn said, kissing her forehead. "I'll be right down front with Santana."

"Is Brittany not here?"

"She's here, she's just…." Quinn trailed off, unsure of how to tell her girlfriend that the show was under superhero surveillance.

"Rainbow Mist looking out for us tonight?" Rachel guessed.

"And Asian Fusion. Mercedes and Sam are here, but they're watching the show. They're on standby though, just in case."

"You don't think anything will happen, do you?" Rachel asked.

"No," Quinn said firmly. "It's just an extra precaution."

Rachel smiled and nodded. "Okay…wish me luck."

Quinn kissed her gently and said, "You don't need it. You're Rachel Berry. Luck bows to talent. I'll see you after the show."

* * *

"Thank you all so much for coming tonight!" Rachel called as the audience continued to applaud. "I have a very special finale tonight, and to help me I have not only the Showcase Kids, but the Wonder Kids as well."

The teenagers and the boy band took the stage with her to enormous applause. Rachel beckoned for one of the young girls to come forward, and handed her the microphone as the music started.

_The heart is stronger than you think._

_It's like it can go through anything,_

_And even when you think it can't_

_It finds a way to still push on, ohhh._

Blaine walked up beside her as the rest of the group formed a semicircle around them.

**Sometimes you want to run away, **

**Ain't got the patience for the pain.**

**And if you don't believe it,**

**Look into your heart**

**The beat goes on.**

Quinn beamed up at the stage as Rachel and all the Showcase and Wonder Kids sang together.

_**I'm telling you**_

_**Things get better**_

_**Through whatever.**_

_**If you fall, dust if off,**_

_**Don't let up. **_

_**Don't you know**_

_**You can go be your own miracle?**_

_**You need to know that**_

_**If the mind keeps thinking you've had enough**_

_**But the heart keeps telling you **_

_**Don't give up.**_

_**Who are we to be questioning, wondering,**_

_**What is what?**_

_**Don't give up.**_

_**Through it all just stand up.**_

There were screams. At first Quinn thought it was an overenthusiastic Wonder Kids fan, but then glass from the windows began to spray in. Lights flickered and burst, and a speaker fell from the side of the stage. Blaine managed to grab the two kids who were under it and move them out of the way before it hit.

Before people could properly panic and rush to the exit, rows of masked minions filed into the room. They were armed with straight up guns and tasers, so Quinn guessed that Mr. AZ hadn't wasted serum on them. More minions came in through the window though, followed by one large black man with AZ on his chest.

"Sylvesteropolis…great night for a show," he said, shooting another light out to more screams. "Be calm…be calm…. I do not wish to harm you. In fact, I'm going to make a show of goodwill by letting the audience go. No harm will come to you at all. Leave now. I simply want to get the attention of Sylvesteropolis's finest. I shall, however, be keeping the songbirds as…collateral."

"Move it," one of the goons said, pushing Quinn past the stage.

Quinn struggled against the tide of people, but there was no way she'd be able to get back to Rachel. "Okay," she muttered to herself. "Plan B." She followed the crowd outside, but didn't stop to gawk like everyone else. She sprinted two blocks down and met up with Brittany and Mercedes. "What's it looking like?"

"I'm going up top," Brittany said. "Sam's gone to get backup."

"I'll see if I can get in," Quinn said.

"Don't do anything idiotic," Mercedes said. "Boy Wonder's already in there. He'll look after them until we can see what's up. Keep your head in the game, Q."

Quinn nodded and pushed the button on her watch, activating her Emerald Fury suit. "I know."

* * *

"What the fuck are you doing?" one of the goons asked, pointing a gun at Blaine.

He put his hands up quickly. "Easy, man. Not doing anything, okay? Kiddo's crying," he said, nodding to one of the younger girls. "Just making sure she's okay."

"Yeah, let him shut her mouth before I shut it for her," another minion said.

Blaine slid over next to the girl and put an arm around her. "It's okay," he whispered. "Emerald Fury's on her way."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

"Enough talking," Mr. AZ said. "Take the brats into the foyer. I'll release them one by one to their parents, once Sylvester meets my demands."

"What do you want, dude?" one of the Wonder Kids asked.

"Money. Power. Respect," Mr. AZ listed. "You think you have any of those, punk? Try and see what you get when people fear you."

Blaine looked over and caught Rachel's eye. He concentrated to send her a message. It was a power he didn't use too often.

_Wait for my signal._

She blinked a few times, then nodded very slightly.

* * *

The heroes had the place surrounded, and a few had managed to sneak in. None of them could make a move, though. They were all receiving messages (in their heads, which sort of freaked them out) from Blaine about what was going on, but there were too many factors.

The kids were being held in the lobby, the Wonder Kids had been taken to the upper balcony, and Mr. AZ had Rachel on the stage still.

Quinn ducked into a window in the main auditorium just out of sight of the stage.

_I think we can get the kids out. Should I signal Mercedes?_

She looked up and could just see Blaine. The rest of the goons had their backs to her. Glancing toward the stage, she saw that AZ didn't have any weapons. She nodded once, then dropped back into the shadows.

A couple of minutes passed before she heard the commotion. By the sound of it, Purple Redemption, Imitator, Rainbow Mist and a few others had stormed the lobby. She looked up to see the goons guarding the Wonder Kids panicking.

"Shut up!" Mr. AZ shouted from the stage. He had Rachel tied to a chair, which he moved to center stage.

Shots rang out, and Quinn could see Blaine subduing a few of the goons single handedly. The two that were left fled.

_Can you handle him and get Rachel? I'm getting my guys out._

Quinn nodded vigorously and watched as the five boys exited.

Mr. AZ, who still hadn't spotted her, waved a hand. The doors to the theater slammed shut. "I've heard you stars always want to go out in a blaze of glory," he said, raising a hand again. Balls of fire flung from his hand into the curtains. "Your wish is my command."

Quinn heard Rachel struggling and it was all she could do not to jump up onto stage and take him on. She sank deeper into the shadows as he made to leave the auditorium.

As he flew up to the window, however, another figure flew in and collided with him.

Quinn didn't wait to see who it was. She darted onto the stage, with was quickly going up in flames. "It's okay," she said, untying Rachel. "Hold on to me." Holding her tightly around the waist, Quinn shot into the air. She didn't go high enough to reach the windows, just high enough to peek out of them.

Behind her, there were crashes as Boy Wonder fought Mr. AZ.

She spotted an opening in the police cars and flew toward it. "Officer Aaronovitch," she said, setting Rachel down. "Make sure she's okay." She turned to Rachel and gave her hand a comforting squeeze before flying back toward the building.

The flames were racing now, and another superhero pulled her back.

"No, Fury," The Saint said. "It's fire like mine. That whole place is about to come down! Ice Man's not going to be able to stop it quick enough."

"I'm not leaving Boy Wonder," she said. "How long do I have?"

Saint looked up at the flames. "Two minutes. Move your ass."

Quinn flew in, view obscured by the smoke. "Ventilator," she coughed, and her mask extended to cover her whole face. Able to breathe again, she flew low over the seats. She found Boy Wonder and Mr. AZ pinned under the rumble.

Boy Wonder was struggling to get a beam off of his leg. "Fury…" he choked.

She grabbed the beam and tossed it. Picking him up, she ran a hand over Mr. AZ. "Dead."

"No…."

"There's nothing we can do, Blaine!"

A large chunk of ceiling crashed near them.

"Can you fly?"

"Too weak…from messages."

"Hold on." She grabbed him under the arms and took off through the window, just as the rest of the ceiling came crashing down.

* * *

"All those in favor?" Puck called.

The heroes, most moderately to heavily bandaged, raised their hands. The only one who didn't was Fist.

"Any objections?" the captain of the heroes asked, sounding as if he knew the answer.

Everyone turned to look at Fist, but the man said nothing. He just glared at Boy Wonder.

"Right. Motion passed. Welcome to the Senior Superhero Division, Boy Wonder!"

There was applause and a few of the ones who'd been at the theater the week before whistled.

"Your first order of business is getting your tail down to Sylvester's office to let her threaten…er…greet you formally."

"I'll go now," Blaine said, smiling brightly.

Quinn winked at him as he passed.

"If there's no other business…this meeting's adjourned."

Quinn nearly sprang from her seat. She'd heard slight paranoia was normal after huge events like this, but lately being away from Rachel was hell. Absolute. Hell. She hopped in the car with Brittany, letting out a relieved sigh.

The air went pink as Brittany smiled. "I know. It's always nice to have a drama free meeting."

"Right?"

"Did Blaine ever tell you what happened?"

"He said Mr. AZ was starting to lose power as they fought. Fist and Rock went back to recover the body, and they think he's right. AZ had taken so much of the serum that he was burning through it at an accelerated rate."

"That makes sense."

"Have Imitator and Asian Fusion found the lab yet?"

Brittany nodded. "They sent a call out to all of the Higher Guard for backup around eight this morning. Enough hero talk though. I'm tired."

Quinn nodded. "You're right. Let's get home to our ladies."


	10. Chapter 10

**In Paths of Falling Stars**

_**One Year Later**_

"By the power vested in me, I pronounce you wives," President Sylvester said. "You may kiss the bride."

With a grin that would probably power the island for a month or two, Quinn pulled Rachel close and kissed her.

There was whistling from the front row where Blaine was seated. Judy was crying and clapping.

The sun was bright and the air was sweet as they walked back down the aisle, arm in arm, toward the limousine.

* * *

A guard passed a wand over the large man while another held a gun to him. "Clean," he grunted, and both of them let him pass.

At the end of the hall, another guard smirked and held a key card to a sensor. The door opened and he nodded him through.

"I don't usually take visitors at this hour."

"It's three in the afternoon."

"And?"

Finn said nothing, just stared at the small man who was cleaning his gadgets.

"I hear you'd like my help."

"Like it. Need it. I'm willing to pay you anything."

"And how do I know this isn't some sort of setup?"

Finn tossed a paper down. The picture under the headline showed Quinn on one knee, proposing to Rachel. "I can hand her over to you."

"Which one?"

"Both, if you like. But Quinn for sure. She's the Emerald Fury."

Jacob Ben Israel looked up sharply.

"I want to take them down, one by one," Finn said. "I could be a god. If you help, you can have anything you want."

Jacob ran a finger down Rachel's picture and smiled. The sound he made was obscene by even the most liberal of standards. "Deal."


End file.
